This invention relates to heat conducting devices, and more particularly to a heat-conducting device for a circuit board.
circuit board (CB) located in a missile contains electronics mounted on and through the CB. The electronics themselves generate heat, which must be dissipated through the airframe of the missile.
In many older missiles, the influx of heat during high-speed flight was the primary concern because the electronics did not produce large amounts of heat and flight times were very short. Accordingly, missiles that had short duration high-speed flights were designed to limit the influx of heat during that mode of operation. These designs, however, did not allow for the removal of heat from the missile. Thus, as the electronics have become more complex and have begun to operate for longer periods of time, internal heat has become a concern too. Thus, CBs in some modern missiles may generate significant internal heat that must be rejected to the missile""s exterior while operating on the wing of an aircraft and for periods of time after launch when the missile is at low air speeds.
One method of thermally coupling CBs to airframes has been to utilize thin conductive fibers that contact the airframe. One example of such fibers is fibers sold under the trademark VEL-THERM. However, such fibers may at times fracture or otherwise break, raising the possibility of damage by foreign objects within the missile.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that improvements are possible in the conduction of heat from CBs to airframes.
According to an aspect of the invention, a heat-conducting device has freely-floating feet that protrude from slots in a thermal plane.
According to another aspect of the invention, a heat-conducting device has airframe engaging portions that are self-positioned in contact with an airframe by resilient devices.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a heat-conducting device for providing a thermal path between a circuit board and an airframe, includes: a thermal plane able to receive a circuit board; and a foot partially protruding from the thermal plane. The thermal plane has a slot therein for receiving a slot-engaging portion of the foot. The foot is movable relative to the thermal plane, to thereby provide better contact between the foot and the airframe.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a heat-conducting device for providing a thermal path between a circuit board and an airframe, includes: a thermal plane able to receive a circuit board; a pair of feet partially protruding from the thermal plane; and resilient devices between the thermal plane and airframe engaging portions of respective of the feet. The thermal plane has a slots therein for receiving respective slot-engaging portions of the feet. The feet are movable relative to the thermal plane, to thereby provide better contact between the airframe engaging portions and the airframe.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method of transferring heat from a circuit board to an airframe of a missile, includes the steps of: placing in the missile a heat-conducting device that includes a thermal plane to which the circuit board is attached; and following the placing, contacting the airframe with feet of the heat-conducting device, wherein the feet are thermally coupled to the thermal plane. The contacting includes using resilient devices of the heat-conducting device to push the feet against the airframe.